The Snow Queen
by Crazy Dyslexic Nerd
Summary: An AU story based loosely on H. C. Andersen's The Snow Queen. Lucy and Edmund are next door neighbors and best friends, until one winter Edmund disapears and Lucy must go on a long and dangerous quest.Mostly Edmund/Lucy, this is NOT incest!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is an AU story, be warned. I've decided to see what would happen if you took H. C. Andersen's fairytale ****The Snow Queen, ****and elements, including characters, from ****The Chronicles Of Narnia****, and put them together. The two stories suit each other, they match, in strange ways. So, I hope you like it, this is my first ****Chronicles of Narnia**** fanfic. Oh, and be warned, there is a lot of Edmund/Lucy, and a little bit of Peter/Susan in this fic. **

**Disclaimer: Neither story is mine, nothing in this is at all mine, and if you think it is you are absolutely of your rocker.**

Prologue: The Queen's Mirror

Long ago, deep in the lands of Ice and Snow, lived a woman made all of snow. She was tall, majestic, and beautiful in a strange icy way. Many called her the Snow Queen, for she ruled all the things of winter, and could make it snow wherever she pleased. Although she was beautiful beyond the lot of any human, she had a heart of ice. She could not love, and so she felt bereft, and wished to make others feel as she did. Cold, angry, without love or warmth. To this purpose she made a magical mirror. When any looked into the mirror, they would see every flaw, without any of the good, in whatever they looked at in the mirror, including themselves.

The Snow Queen ordered her goblins to carry the mirror throughout the land, so as to spread terror and fear, pain and misery, to any they could reach. But once, in the cold of the winter that was always present in the small northern villages, the goblins found themselves having trouble holding the mirror. They had just shown the mirror to an old man, who had gone crazy in terror at seeing himself in the mirror. And they felt quite pleased with themselves. But the Great Lion, Aslan, had seen what the Snow Queen, sometimes called the White Witch, was doing, and he had told his father, the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, about what was happening. Both knew that the Queen must be stopped, so Aslan had roared his great roar, to make the Goblins lose their grip. So the mirror fell and smashed.

But it was written in the Deep Magic, with which the land was created, that no thing that was truly Evil could be disposed of so easily. So the mirror, 'though smashed, did not stop its mischief. The Witch was furious when the Goblins told her what had happened. With a flick of her wand, she transformed her lackeys to stone statues, and set about in a rage. She screamed and yelled, and stormed around. Destroying things left and right, no matter what it was.

After a few days of this she calmed enough to think about what her mirror could still do, for she knew something of the Deep Magic. She knew, because she had made the mirror thus, that the fragments would fly throughout the world, seeking victims. If it struck a person in the eye, they would see only the bad, any sight they once enjoyed, anything they once found beautiful, would be hideous in their sight, they would see only the imperfections. Horrible though this would be, much worse would be if they were pricked in the heart. Their feelings would be numbed and they would find only hate, where once was love. Their heart would become cold, and it would slowly freeze over, 'til their heart was as much Ice as that of the Witch herself.

One other misfortune was the result of the mirror. Wherever the fragments traveled, and changed someone completely, they would cause an endless winter to occur, never changing, but never quite reaching Christmas.

The fragments of mirror traveled far and wide, causing much misery and death, and spreading winter over the land. A few who were struck, of course, didn't notice a change, and an even smaller number defeated the fragments with their own pure hearts. But the Snow Queen was taking over the world, and that is how it would be to this day, if the mirror had not found its way to a small town in the Lantern Waste of Narnia. That is what I will tell you, the story of the one who defeated the Snow Queen and the misery caused by her.

**AN: If you have anything to say, please review. It would be nice to have someone review, although I don't know if it would change my speed at updating.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I apologize for any spelling mistakes in advance. I also thank my reviewers, and the people who put this story on alerts, this is only my second story, so I'm very excited. One more thing, the song I made up is, in my opinion, very bad. I've never been good at composing and this was just something I put in, in hopes that people would overlook how bad it is, and just see the effort. I'm now going back and correcting them. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 1: The Two Houses With Roses

In the country of Narnia there were many crowded little villages, They were so crowded that only the very rich had gardens of anything but pots. Our story deals with one of these little towns, known as Beaversdam. In Beaversdam it was just as crowded as everywhere else, but there were to children, a boy and a girl, who had more flowers than any of the others, but neither of their families were particularly rich.

The two, whose names were Edmund and Lucy, were not brother and sister, but were a deal closer than siblings often are. Edmund and his parents lived in an tall, thin sort of house and Lucy lived in one just the same with her grandmother. The houses were right next to each other, so close the rain gables actually touched, as the town was so crowded that all the houses got squished together. Edmund and Lucy quite liked that the gables touched. They each had a large window that they could walk through right where the gables touched, and were able to easily step from one house to the other during the summer.

Also on this connecting gable, there were many pots of roses. Eventually someone decided that it would be possible to have a little arbor where they could press the pots together into a small rose garden. This was done, and Edmund and Lucy spent all that summer playing in the little rose arbor. But as winter came they had to spend more time inside, which was alright. They would always go to Lucy's grandmother, who every child in the village called grandmother, although Lucy was her only grandchild. Grandmother would tell them stories. One day in the dead of winter, Edmund and Lucy were peering out a frost-covered window.

Edmund stared at the flurries of snow, and said to the room at large, "The snow, it looks like bees." He thought for a second before continuing, "I wonder, does the snow have a Queen?"

"Aye, child, there is a Queen of Snow." Said Grandmother; "She is a cold woman, made all of ice, with a heart to match."

Little Lucy looked fascinated, "Grandmother, do tell us a story of her!" Lucy was the sort of child interested in most any story.

Grandmother replied to this request, "I will tell you about her if you wish me to, but I warn the both of you, 'tis a spooky tale."

When both children nodded, eyes wide, Grandmother continued, "The icy Snow Queen is the sworn enemy of Aslan, the opposite of Him in all things. Where He is kind and merciful, she feeds on pain and suffering. She appears only in the dead of winter, where the snow is thickest. She looks through windows, and searches for someone she can take back to her ice Palace. She seeks to take over Narnia with a deep Winter, which would last forever. The only way for her to do that is to find a way to infect the mind of all living creatures. She sneaks through villages at night, peaking at windows and leaving ice patterns on the panes. Looking for any to take with her. She will take the world one day, for only the very purest of true love can defeat her."

Lucy shivered and looked at the frost-covered window, almost seeing the icy face that peered through. Edmund, seeing his friends fright said, "Don't worry, Lu, if she tries to get in here then I'll push her into the fire, where she'll surely melt into little bits!"

This had, however, made more of an impression on Edmund than he would like to admit. That night, after he had gone home, he looked out the window, and saw a horribly beautiful Lady made entirely of ice. The Lady smiled at him, and blew into her hand, pointing at the window, and the window covered itself over in ice crystals.

**Page Break**

The winter passed, and summer came. Again Edmund and Lucy went to play in their secret rose bower. Lucy had learned a new song, and was attempting to teach Edmund. She was failing because Edmund kept tickling her nose with a rose bud, and wasn't paying much attention besides.

Lucy said finally, "Edmund, are you even listening to anything I'm saying?"

"Oh, sorry, Lucy, What was that?" He apparently wasn't.

"I'm trying to teach you a song, Ed, would you please listen?" She was rather irritated at this point.

Edmund apologized, and Lucy, who never stayed mad, or even slightly annoyed, immediately set about teaching him the song. "It goes

'_What Winter cannot comprehend, _

_The love that Aslan gives,_

_It shall bring Spring again_

_And Love shall Live!'_

Now you try."

He sang it back to her, and then they sang it together. But just as they were about sing it again, Edmund cried out in pain. "Ow! Lucy, I do believe something just struck my heart, and I've something in my eye!" He blinked a few times before saying, "It's gone now, it may just have been my imagination, anyway. Don't look so worried, Lu."

It was not, in fact, gone. Although neither knew it at the time, Edmund had been hit with two fragments of the Witch's mirror, and even now it was darkening his sight, and slowly turning his heart to ice.

Lucy still looked worried, but she didn't press the subject. What worried her even more 'though was what Edmund said next.

"Why are we even sitting with all these crummy roses, that one's all wilted, and that on has a worm in it." He got up to leave, Lucy was close to tears, but instead of comforting her when he noticed, he only said, "Stop crying, only babies cry, and it'll make your face all splotchy. You're so plain already that you really couldn't afford to be splotchy as well."

This wasn't at all true, Lucy wasn't a fairytale princess, but she had her own sort of beauty, and what Edmund said would be considered extremely cruel if he weren't enchanted. So we can't at all blame him for what he said, but Lucy knew nothing of the enchantment he was under, and was very hurt, by what he said.

**Page Break**

When winter came around again, Edmund was quite a different boy. He never wasted a chance to cruelly tease poor Lucy, who never gave up on her friend, no matter how he treated her. He became a troublemaker at school, and something of a bully. He never wasted a chance to prove that he was no longer a little boy, doing daredevil tricks with the older ones.

Now one of these games was for a boy to take his sled and tie it to a large sledge that a farmer would bring to town to sell their goods. One particularly cold day, Edmund was playing with some other boys at this game in the main square. Suddenly a large, elegant, white sledge came into the square, a Lady dressed in white drove it, and Edmund recognized the Lady, but couldn't think of where he had seen her before. Her sledge was pulled by great, white reindeer, and was very fast.

The other boys were much to scared and, in some ways, wise, to tie their sleds to the large sledge, but Edmund had no such fears. He tied his sled to the corner of the Lady's sledge. The Lady looked back at him and smiled, then she told her driver, an old dwarf, to set the reindeer to galloping. The reindeer galloped down the road and out of the town, and every time Edmund almost untied his sledge, the Lady would look back and smile. Eventually Edmund untied his little sled, because he was beginning to feel scared that he would never be able to find Beaversdam again, but his sled would not fall away from the large sledge.

The Lady reached back, and pulled him in beside her. He was scared, and wanted to pray to Aslan, but he couldn't think how, all he could think of, was the multiplication table. The Lady said in a rich, but cold, voice, "Hello my dear, you must be cold." So saying she wrapped her great white coat around him, "I am the Snow Queen. Would you like something to eat?"

The Lady, The Snow Queen he corrected himself, seemed kind, so he said; "I'm Edmund, your Majesty. Do you have any Turkish delight?" This was his favorite sweet.

"Of course, dear." While saying this she made a box of the candy appear out of thin air. "Now, would you like to come back to my Castle, where you would be treated like a little Prince, for I have no children of my own."

Edmund had, quite more rudely then he once would have, been stuffing himself with the sweet, paused, and said with his mouth full, "Yes, you Majesty, I'd love to see your palace, but could my friend Lucy come and stay to? For a little while at least?" You see, he still cared very deeply for Lucy, no matter that he had been quite beastly to her recently.

The Queen said, "You don't need her anymore, she didn't appreciate you, you must forget her." She kissed his forehead, at first it hurt unbearably, but then it simple finished the job that the mirror fragment had started.

Still something seemed wrong about this statement, "No, Lucy does care about me, she cares about me more than anyone else!" But the Queen kissed him again, and he quite forgot everything, even Lucy.

**AN: I probably won't keep posting this quickly, I'm out of school because the road is very icy, and I'll probably be going back tomorrow.**


	3. Chapter 3

** A/N: Sorry this took so long, I will be trying to update once every week or two, but I may not be able to. Please don't kill me for being slow, and remember that this is the longest chapter I've ever written!**

** Disclaimer: Do you think I would write fan-fiction if I owned Narnia? For one thing, C. S. Lewis is dead...**

Chapter 2: The River God, and the Magician

Spring arrived late in Beaversdam that year, for the Witch's Winter enchantment was beginning to take effect. But the occupants of the two gangly houses with the arbor between felt it was only right. They were sad and mournful for they didn't have any idea what had happened to Edmund. After he had disappeared all the grown-ups had spent a lot of time looking for him. Even little Lucy had tried to help, 'though everyone told her to go home, in case she were to be the next to vanish. It was eventually decided that Edmund must have fallen in the river and drowned while the River God had his long winter sleep. Lucy at first refused to believe that her best friend could possibly have died, and argued that he couldn't have drowned as he was good swimmer. But they had found his sled in the River Rush and told her that anyone who fell in the river during the winter would have frozen up from hypothermia.

When summer came around, not a very long or nice one at that, even Lucy had accepted that Edmund must be dead. She discussed this with the Talking Beasts of Narnia, for many of them knew quite a bit more than they ordinarily would say. She asked a Robin called Wormcatcher if he thought Edmund dead, to this the Robin replied "I do not believe he is dead, but the centaurs, who watch the stars, may be able to tell you more."

She did as Wormcatcher suggested, and went to ask the old centaur, who lived in Beaversdam as the Historian and sometimes taught the children in school.

She said, "Rayndin, sir, do you believe that Edmund is dead?"

Rayndin, that, of course being the name of the centaur, replied cryptically, "Dear Daughter of Eve, I will tell you what I can. Although I do not know much more about it than you do. All the stars have told me is that the boy is not dead, 'though what the stars have hinted at is that he may well be in a place where it would be preferable to be dead. After all, in death you go to Aslan's Country."

Lucy was comforted that her friend was not dead, although perturbed by the other things the centaur had said. She resolved to go to the River God the next day.

**Page Break**

So, as she had promised herself, Lucy said goodbye to her Grandmother, put on the new, red shoes she had gotten, and went down to the River Rush. Lucy had never spoken to the River God, and had no idea how one was supposed to go about such things. She did a relatively good job of it, and he certainly would have answered her, had not Aslan instructed him to help Lucy on her quest indirectly only. Lucy thought the River God must want something in return for knowledge of what had happened to Edmund, so she took her shoes off and floated them into the river. They came directly back to her, pushed by the current. This was, in fact, the River god's indirect way of telling the little girl that he had not taken her friend, nor was the boy on any of the river's banks'. Lucy didn't know this, she just thought she hadn't put her shoes in far enough, and so she stepped into a little fishing boat. (Which, incidentally had been washed up from the ocean, and found by a Calormene called Arsheesh containing a baby he called Shasta, but that is a different story.) She stepped into the edge of the boat and put the shoes into the water again. But just as she was about to go back to shore, the boat came loose from where it had rested on the sand. Leaving Lucy floating, quite literally, up a river without a paddle. The River God saw this, and immediately set his naiads to pulling the boat in the direction of the Snow Queen's northern palace, and her best friend.

**Page Break**

Lucy was tired and hungry by the time the boat was pushed ashore, 'though she realized the naiads must be taking her in the direction Edmund had gone. She thanked the naiads and the River God for their help and went up the bank.

She saw a small cottage that looked like a nice enough places, and went to the door to ask for shelter for the night. A middle-aged woman dressed as a housekeeper answered the door, and asked Lucy what she wanted.

"Well," She said, "I have nowhere to go for the night, and thought to ask for shelter here."

The housekeeper said, "I shall inform Mr. Ketterly of your request. Wait here."

The housekeeper shut the door, and about five minutes, although it felt like hours to Lucy, she returned. The housekeeper said, "Mr. Ketterly says to come to his study, for he wants to talk to you."

"Thank you, Mistress..." Here Lucy hesitated, not knowing the housekeeper's name.

"Mrs. Macready, girl, not that it really matters." Was the terse reply.

"Well, thank you, Mrs. Macready." Finished Lucy, who was a very polite girl by nature, and didn't understand why Mrs. Macready didn't think that her name mattered. But she forgot this as she was ushered into Mr. Ketterly's study. The room was small, but cozy, with a desk made of cedar wood, and a comfortable chair behind. There were more chairs in front of the desk, three of them, and on the other side of the room there was a small sofa, and two overstuffed armchairs gathered around a hearth with a merrily burning fire. The walls were wooden and painted a deep, peaceful, blue, and over the plain wood floor was a rug, in a different shade of blue. After this thorough examination of the room, Lucy turned her eyes to its master. Mr. Ketterly was an older sort of gentleman. He was dressed in a red dressing gown, although it was not that late, his hair was white, and flew about his head like the leaves of a tree in autumn when it has already half lost its foliage.

While Lucy had been studying her surroundings and her host, the aforementioned host had been doing some studying of his own. What he saw was a small girl, of maybe ten or less years, he saw her reddish-brown hair, and her animated blue-grey eyes. Immediately the man wished she could stay forever. He said, "Dear girl, Margaret has told me you need a place to stay the night, that's right isn't it?"

Lucy replied, shyly, "Yes, Sir."

The old man said, "You may stay as long as you wish. Now tell me, why are you out here in the middle of nowhere without any family?"

Lucy, a very trusting girl by nature, told him her whole story, of the rose arbor, the stories of Grandmother, and of her quest to find her friend, who had disappeared without a trace. "And so you see, sir," She finished, "Why I must seek Edmund, He's my best friend, and I'm the only one who will. Everyone else believes he is dead."

Mr. Ketterly had listened patiently through all this, and, after hearing the whole story, he sat a while in thought. Finally he said, "Well, Miss Lucy, while you are here, I will see to it that you want for nothing. Come, I'll have Mrs. Macready make you something to eat. Then you may choose a room to your liking and stay as long as you wish."

Lucy said, "Thank you, Sir, I wish I could stay but I have to- How strange! I think... I have to... look for my... friend! Yes, that was it! I have to find him!" Almost as an afterthought she said, "Oh, and call me Lucy."

Mr. Ketterly smiled, and said, "If I am to call you Lucy, then you must call me Uncle Andrew."

He took her by the hand and led her to the kitchen, where Margaret Macready had already prepared a small feast. Lucy smiled delighted at the wonderful meal, and the smell coming from it. So dazzled was she at the thought of food- having had nothing since breakfast and it had gotten quite late, past nine o'clock! She was so very dazzled by the food, that she didn't notice the small vial in Uncle Andrew's hand, and she certainly didn't notice as he poured a bit of it onto each item of food. She never thought to ask why the food became almost enchanting after that, nor why her memories of her friend, her playmate, were getting fainter and fainter as she ate, although they had been disappearing somewhat since she had first told Uncle Andrew her story. The reason for this is quite simple; Andrew Ketterly was a magician. He wasn't a bad magician, nor was he a particularly good one, in either sense of the word. Another thing about him was that he was quite selfish. He had always wished for a kind daughter, or even a niece! But the only relation he'd had in a very long time was a nephew, and the boy had grown up long ago and gone away. They hadn't been on very good terms, anyway, after Uncle Andrew had accidentally sent his nephew, Digory, and the boy's friend, Polly, into a different world, known as England. But that is another story entirely.

Andrew was lonely; he didn't care that Lucy didn't want to stay. That she wished to seek her friend was not a concern of his. He showed her to a small guest chamber that he thought she might like, before tucking her into bed. Before he left, he cast an extra spell to make sure that, by morning, she would have forgotten completely her quest. He then used his magic to vanish all the roses from the garden of his cottage, which Mrs. Macready kept quite skillfully. He knew that the roses would likely cause Lucy to remember all he had caused her to forget. The only rose he missed was the rose in his housekeeper's hat. The hat had many flowers on it, and it quite flew from his mind that there was even a rose on it.

**Page Break**

The next morning Lucy awoke to the singing of the birds. She sat up and saw golden sunshine streaming through the window, she could not have been happier, but for the feeling you sometimes get when you know you've forgotten something, but can't remember what.

She dressed, and hurried downstairs. When she came to the room that had to be a dining room of some sort, she found Uncle Andrew waiting with a wonderful looking breakfast of bacon and eggs, tea and fresh cherries. The breakfast was wonderful, it tasted as though it had been made mere minutes ago.

Uncle Andrew said, "Good morning, Lucy. If you want, after breakfast, you may go into the garden, and play among the flowers. Mrs. Macready is quite a renowned gardener."

Lucy smiled, and replied, "Thank you, Uncle, I've always loved flowers!"

So it transpired that, after breakfast of course, Lucy went out to the flower garden to play. Now, you'll remember that this is the house of a magician, and, moreover, in Narnia. In this place, unlike in our own world, flowers had the ability to talk to those who knew how to listen, and theses sorts of people were much more common then. As Lucy was playing among a patch of hyacinths, and listening to them gossip, she felt as though something important was missing from the garden. Like the most essential flower had quite vanished overnight. She wondered what had prompted these feelings, and she could think of nothing to make her feel as she did.

That afternoon, she asked Uncle Andrew if he had ever met Aslan. She couldn't at all remember _why_ Aslan was important to her, but she knew that He was. But she still didn't understand her feeling of horror at Andrew's offhand reply of: "I met Him once, and I don't think he much liked me. It doesn't really matter, He's been gone for so very long, and He's only a lion, anyway."

**Page Break**

Time passed, it seemed like a very few days to Lucy, who played everyday, happily in the garden. She would have been completely content, if not for the nagging feeling that there was something really important, that she must get back to, as well as the empty feeling of something missing. She may have stayed there forever. As it was the house of a magician she would have only aged a very little bit in a very long time, Uncle Andrew had been in Narnia since the beginning of it, and was quite proud of it. As said above, she would have stayed there forever, never knowing a thing about it, but for a combination of luck, Uncle Andrew's forgetfulness, Mrs. Macready, and most likely some help from Aslan.

Mrs. Macready was working in the front cottage garden, wearing her sun hat covered in the many different flowers. Lucy had just come out the door to ask the pessimistic housekeeper a question. The Macready, as Lucy had titled her, was leaning over the flowers; which were the only things that received kindness from her, didn't see Lucy come out. But Lucy got a wonderful view of the flowers on the Macready's hat, not least of which was the beautiful rose right in the center. Lucy gave a little gasp, and ran back inside, just as Mrs. Macready looked up to see who was there. She didn't see anyone, and so went back to talking to the daffodil.

Just inside the door, Lucy sat, her head in her hands, weeping. She had forgotten her quest, she had forgotten her Grandmother, who must miss her fiercely, she had nearly forgotten Aslan, but worse than that, because she hadn't quite forgotten Aslan, she had forgotten Edmund. Her missing best friend, her partner in mischief, her _Edmund_. She had spent who knows how long playing, without a care in the world, when Ed was gone, vanished. _He could be hurt, or kidnapped, or... No, I can't think that. He isn't. No, he can't be!_ She thought.

She stepped into the yard, knowing there was a gate there she could leave by. Also it couldn't hurt to ask the flowers if they knew anything about her missing friend. First she asked the tiger-lilies, but all they said was, "Rub-bum, rub-bum, do you hear the drum?"

Next she asked the narcissus flowers, "Have you any knowledge of where Edmund may be?"

All the flowers answered was, "I see myself, aren't I gorgeous?"

She went through many flowers, but none could tell her any story but their own, and none of theses stories were the least bit helpful. Feeling horribly useless, Lucy began to cry. She had wasted some much time, days at least, and now she could get no useful information. Unbeknownst to her, she was crying on the exact spot that the roses once grew, and as her tears hit the ground, the flowers came back from where they had rested under the earth. Lucy cried out at seeing the oh so missed roses appear, saying, "Oh, dear, beautiful roses, I thought I would never see a rose again! Please, tell me, have you any news of Edmund?"

The roses told her what they knew: "We don't know where your friend is, except that his location is to the north. But while we were sleeping underneath the soil, we did dream of the Great Lion Himself. He told us that Edmund is not dead, and still may be saved. His message to you was, 'Do not give up hope, Daughter of Eve, for all is not lost, there is still time. Remember,' were his words to you through us, 'that no matter where you are, I will always watch over you.'"

This comforted Lucy immensely, and she thanked the roses, and took her leave through the back gate. She stepped through the door into a world of many-colored leaves, red, brown, gold, and orange. The fiery colors of the autumn forest. She had been in the enchanted cottage an entire summer, when it had felt like she had been there mere days. Looking down, she realized she was wearing her old things, and no shoes. Having given them to the River. She was cold, in the nippy weather, but she bravely set off again on her quest. In the distance, she thought she heard the roar of the Lion, echoing through the wood.

**A/N: Hoped you liked the chapter, if you didn't and want to flame, please tell it's a flame, because I'm still not sure what a flame **_**is**_**, explanation would be welcome. Review if you want to, it would be nice, but I won't send a monster after you if you don't. Feedback and comments on ways to improve my writing are welcome! Thank you for reading!**

**-Dyslexic Nerd**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm **_**so**_** sorry this has taken so long! It was just hard to write!**

**Disclaimer: Seagulls: Mine! Mine! Mine!**

**The Nerd: Shut up, Seagulls! This isn't mine! Not the Chronicles, or you Seagulls! Go back to **_**Finding Nemo**_**!**

**Disclaimer-Disclaimer: my younger sister, InLoveWithRonWeaslyFreak, invented the above disclaimer.**

Chapter 3: The King and Queen of Narnia

As Lucy left the garden of the Magician, she wondered how she could possibly find her friend. She had no idea where Edmund could have gone, and, it is sad to say that Lucy had never been much use with maps. Her feet were starting to feel really cold as she wandered through the wood, she had didn't even know what direction she was going in, now she had left the river. Actually she was going in quite the wrong direction, east rather then north, and, had she continued like this, she would have soon found herself run-up against the sea.

Before this could happen, a Raven alighted in a nearby beech. The Raven asked, croakily, "Where is a child like yourself going this late in the year? 'Tis nearly autumn, and with the Witch's spell going into effect all around, 'tisnt safe."

Lucy said, "Mr. Raven, sir, I'm seeking my friend, Edmund, who disappeared last winter. A centaur told me he wasn't dead. So I went to find him." And she told the Raven her story.

When she had finished, the Raven said, "First of all, you needn't refer to me as 'Mr. Raven', my name is Sallowpad." Finished with this, he continued, "Now, about your story, I do not know where your friend may be, but I know one who might, or two, I should say. I serve as an advisor for the High King and his Queen, they who rule from two of the Four Thrones of Cair Paravel. They know many of the things that go on in Narnia, I could take you, and you could ask King Peter."

Lucy was quite delighted with this news. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Sallowpad."

Lucy followed the Raven and, although most of the time you really shouldn't follow a stranger, there are times when it's necessary, and this was one of those times. She followed Sallowpad, and her last hope to finding Edmund short of a miracle sent by Aslan, and noticed, rather inconveniently, that her bare feet were very cold.

Page Break

It seemed like days, 'though it was only hours, before they came to the Cair. Of course, Lucy didn't complain, she was the one who didn't bring a spare set of shoes after giving the River God her own, but her feet had begun to feel rather numb a while ago, although she didn't think she was yet in danger of frost bite. And they hurt something dreadful from stones and twigs on the path that Sallowpad was leading her down.

All this 'though flew from her mind at her first sight of Cair Paravel. She forgot just about everything at this first glimpse, but this wasn't the bad sort of forgetting forced upon her by the Magician, this was the momentary ease of worry by the awe inspired by the first sight of the majestic castle. It was truly a work of art. The sun was rising from behind, in the Eastern Sea, and it cast a pinkish glow to the worn, white stones, other colors from the sunrise cast themselves into the Sea, which was beautiful and terrifying all at once, lending its grandeur to the majestic castle set on a cliff overlooking this wild ocean. In a word it was breathtaking, and Lucy was quite overwhelmed.

Sallowpad watched her, fondly remembering his own first time seeing the Cair years ago. Her reaction was not at all unusual. But much more quickly than she would ordinarily have done, she pulled herself away from the awe she felt, knowing quite well that she didn't really have time to be looking at the sights when she should be seeking Edmund. "Thank you, Mr. Sallowpad, for bringing me this far, " She said suddenly, "But how may I go about getting an audience with the High King?"

Sallowpad smiled, well, he gave the Raven approximation of one, and said, "I will request that King Peter give you an audience myself. Then you may ask him your question, for he will surely grant you this audience, and you can tell him your story."

"Thank you ever so much, Sallowpad!" Lucy felt that she would have kissed the dear Bird if he hadn't been flying well above her head.

Page Break

It wasn't very long after reaching Cair Paravel that Lucy got her audience with the King and Queen. They sent someone; a faun called Tumnus, to fetch her just after midday. As the faun led her to the throne room, Lucy couldn't help but stare in awe about her. The castle was very fine, full of many wall hangings, paintings, and other works of art crafted by the good people of Narnia.

They entered the throne room through finely carved wood doors, and Lucy stepped up to the monarchs and curtsied as best she could. I feel obliged to tell you that it wasn't the very best ever seen, but no one minded this because she was so obviously trying. She looked tentatively at the High King, and the Queen of Narnia. _Why, _she thought_ they can't be very much older than me!_ This was true, Narnia's High King, Peter, was only about eighteen, while his Queen about a year younger.

After Tumnus announced Lucy, King Peter said, "Welcome to Cair Paravel, Lucy of Beaversdam, would you tell us what is troubling you that you come to us for an audience?" After thinking a moment, he added, "Does this matter have anything to do with the White Witch and the winter she is spreading about Narnia? We had not heard Beaversdam had yet been affected."

Lucy replied rather shyly, "Your Majesties, I know very little about the winter, only what my Grandmother has told me. But I think it may be coming to my home. You see," She went on more bravely, "My best friend, he... changed, not long ago. He became rather nasty at times, and would say beautiful things were hideous. He didn't mean it, really. He's a very nice person. But, last winter, he was sledding with the older boys, and tied his sled onto this great, white sledge, pulled by reindeer! He hasn't been seen since then, but his sled was found in the River Rush. Everyone thought he'd drowned, until I asked an old Centaur. He told me that Edmund; my friend was not dead, but somewhere that it would be preferable _to_ be dead. Ever since I've been looking for him, 'though I've no idea where he may be." By the end of her story, she was quite near to tears.

Queen Susan stood, and went to the girl. Queen Susan was a very motherly person, although she hadn't yet had children of her own. She was tall, and thin, with curling black hair cascading down her back. There was no doubt to anyone who saw her why she was considered the most beautiful person in the world. In complete contrast to her, yet matching her perfectly, King Peter, who stood past six feet tall, was broad shouldered with golden hair. The Queen's pale skin matching her King's tanned skin, both monarchs had blue eyes.

The Queen put her arms around the little girl, who then began to cry. She cried for her friend, for her family whom she had vanished away from, for the hardships of her journey, for the time wasted, for her pain filled feet, but also for the sudden kindness shown her by the rulers of her country. Queen Susan comforted the girl, and drew Lucy down to sit beside her on the steps of the dais. She said, "It's not so bad as all that, we'll help you find your friend. We may even know where he's been taken."

Lucy looked up at the young Queen and asked simply, "Where?" She had quite forgotten that one isn't usually held so close by ones Queen, but it wasn't as uncommon in Narnia as it would be in other places.

The High King came down to sit beside his wife and the little girl form Beaversdam, he said to Lucy, dropping the royal we he had been using prior to this, "I believe that I can speak for the both of us in saying that your Edmund has most likely been taken by the White Witch, or Snow Queen as she is sometimes called, to her Northern Palace. It is so far north that it is never anything other then winter quite naturally, not like this magical winter she is slowly putting about Narnia."

Lucy asked, her face streaked with tears, "Is there any way of getting him back? I would do anything," Considering she added, "Well, anything not against Aslan."

"There is only one way, and it is very dangerous but it is the only way to defeat the Witch, and rescue any who she has prisoner there. None have undertaken the journey for quite a long time now; the last to take that risk was Sir Reepicheep, the Mouse. He has never returned, so we must assume that he was either turned to stone or has gone on to Aslan's Country." Queen Susan said, seeing the look on Lucy's face she added, "I don't believe she has turned your friend to stone, nor killed him. From what you have told us, it is more likely that he is under the Witch's spell. Will you undertake the journey?"

Lucy thought seriously for a moment, but was quickly decided; She knew she could never live without Edmund, and would much prefer dying in the attempt to rescue him then to be safe and sick at heart. Pulling away, politely, from the Queen, She said, "I'll do it, only, your Majesties, tell me how."

Smiling at her bravery, the monarchs rose, "We'll do better," Said King Peter, "Spend the night at the Cair, tomorrow, we'll send you on your journey with directions and supplies."

"Thank you, your Majesty." She said, curtsying.

Page Break

The next day, the Court of Cair Paravel saw Lucy off in a wonderful coach, pulled by the finest of non-talking horses, and driven by a young Archenlander who had come to Narnia a year before. She waved from the window, having just said good-bye to, and thanked the monarchs. She was dressed in a warm red dress, and a winter cloak, which had belonged to the Queen when she was younger, and warm boots, made for comfortable walking, which were probably the best of the things given her by the King and Queen. She looked forward, to the north, the Witch's castle, and her best friend.

**A/N: Again, I apologize for taking forever, I won't make an excuse, but please spread this message: Procrastinators of the World, Unite! Tomorrow!**

**A few questions before I leave you alone. First: Will anyone murder me if I don't find a way to include Caspian? Second: Do you want there to be Four at Cair Paravel by the end of the fic? And lastly: Do you want Reepicheep to be in Aslan's Country (AKA dead), or turned to stone?**

**Thank you for reading. Please review if you don't think it would be too inconvenient!**

**-Dyslexic Nerd**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm not at all sure about this chapter, but it took so long to write, that I really had to post it. Sorry I took so long.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not dead, and I'm not rich. Do you understand? I don't own anything in this story.**

Chapter 4: The Little Robber Girl

As Lucy traveled in the carriage through Narnia, towards the northern border where Narnia met Ettinsmoor, she looked out the window, watching the land as it passed. The Narnian hills were still very green despite it being late fall, at least the Witch had no bearing here, yet. Lucy watched as dryads waved to her, and waved back cheerfully. She was going to find Edmund, she knew where she was going, and she had all the supplies and help she needed to get there. The only thing better then this would be to actually find Edmund.

She traveled happily through the countryside, although she began to notice that the further north she got, the colder it was. The third day in the carriage, she saw the mountains. The sight of them made her wish for the gangly little house she shared with her grandmother; you could see the mountains from Beaversdam as well.

* * *

So it went for many days, but one bright, snowy morning at a time nearing midwinter, bandits saw the bright little coach. The bandits' leader said to herself, "_That would be a fine coach that I could take for myself..."_

Her adopted daughter, a raggedy girl by the name of Jill; although, for some unknown reason, the woman's son called the girl Pole, was grinning wickedly at the coach, imagining what fine things she could have for herself that might be inside. The bandit woman; called by most Alberta the Scrubber for the way she could scrub a floor with her enemies blood; came to a decision. "Take tha' ther' coach, and any tha' might be inside," She ordered, "Kill da driver, an' any'un else on the outs."

The bandits immediately followed their Chief's orders; it was not a good idea to keep the Scrubber waiting. The driver was quickly slaughtered, and Lucy dragged out into the horrid ring of sneering bandits. The bandits, mainly males as Alberta considered them easier to control, leered at her, saying such things as, "Look a' the pre'ty li'le girl, ain't she a treat." and "Come 'ere little miss, we's won't 'arm ye." A few of the comments were so very vulgar that the writer quite refuses to pen them in this narrative. If for some strange reason you, the reader, want to know what was said, bring a pretty, innocent girl to a place full of rowdy, unclean men, who relish the company of any they may find. This should give you some idea.

Jill, who wasn't nearly as bad as one may suppose for growing up in a bandit camp, couldn't stand the idea of anything happening to a girl her own age, maybe a little older. She jumped on her foster-mother's back, only one other would have dared do this, and began pulling the woman's ears. "Ma Alberta..." She screeched, "Let 'er come wi' me. I be lonesome now Scrubb," (Her name for Alberta's son Eustace,)"'as gone of wid Caspian!"

Now, Alberta was a strong willed woman in everything-except what her son and adopted daughter asked for. She, in fact, spoilt them both rather horribly. So of course she said to the bandits, "You 'eard me Jill, de lessie goes wid 'er!" After a moment of looking at the faces of the bandits, she added, "An' any as mess wid 'er are ta be delt wid by me."

After this speech, the bandits wouldn't have touched Lucy with a ten-metre stick. Quite glad of it she was too, the leering faces and smell of unwashed men had quite overpowered her. She was filled with a mixture of relief and fear as the bandit girl approached her. The girl looked a year or so younger then Lucy herself and had unkempt, curling black hair, with dancing green eyes that could have been quite beautiful without the cruel surface that was so apperant it looked put-on. The bandit girl grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her back to the camp. Once there the girl led Lucy into a small, but neat, for bandits anyway, tent.

The tent, strangely enough, was full of all sorts of Animals-Animals with that gleam of intelligence in their eye. Bandits, as a general rule, don't much care if what they eat can talk or has never spoke a word in it's life. They even resorted to cannibalism at points. These were the animals that Jill and her adopted brother, Eustace had rescued from the bandit cook-pot. Why they did this doesn't really come into the story, but suffice it to say that it had quite a lot to do with meeting a young Telmarine run-away.

Jill said quietly to the Animals, "This girl 'll be joinin' our li'l group 'ere, so be nice to 'er." She left the tent quickly to do whatever it is little robber girls are expected to do by their foster mothers'.

Lucy found herself alone in the company of many Animals she'd never before met. There was a small bunch of Wood Pigeons, young things, barely able to fly, and an old, motherly looking Fox. On the other side of her, Lucy saw a Wolf pup with a bandaged paw, a small Squirrel that was bouncing about as though it had run mad, and, rather unexpectedly, a Talking Apple (**1**). The were all looking at her like she was some sort of other-worldly creature, not an ordinary Daughter of Eve.

A voice came from the back corner of the tent; "She has never brought a Human here to protect before." The voice sounded surprised, and, as Lucy looked over, she saw it was an albino Reindeer that had spoken.

The Fox said, " There is no reason Jill should not protect her own kind as she does others." She paused to look at Lucy a moment more before continuing, "We don't even know this new child's name as of yet, be civil, Tarandos!"

"Alright!" Said the Reindeer, Tarandos. Then he turned to Lucy and said, rather sharply, "What's your name, Daughter of Eve?"

"Lucy, sir." She said rather shyly.

The Fox came forward and said, "It's nice to meet you, Lucy. I am Ambika." She gestured to the Reindeer, "This is Tarandos, and these are Raoul," Looking at the Wolf pup, "Nigel, Nicolas, Nicodemus, and their sister Nia." She added looking at the four Pigeons.

The Apple, put out at not being introduced, said, "I'm Carolena, and that ball of energy over there is Pattertwig."

Lucy said, "It's very nice to meet you all."

Ambika asked her why she was traveling the world, she was a rather a young girl too be traveling after all.

The Animals gathered close as Lucy told her story, and just as she got to the part about meeting the Magician, Jill came in, and Lucy was obliged to begin again. The story of Lucy's quest was so very touching that a few of the Animals, and the Apple, felt their eyes grow somewhat foggy, as the tale of a loyal little girl risking her life to find her best friend unfolded. It sounded so like a fairy-story that Jill, who had heard very few such stories, as Alberta really was the sort to tell such things, was quite enchanted. She made up her mind to do what-ever she could to help this girl, who she didn't even know the name of, rescue a boy that Jill had never even met.

To you, my readers, this mayen't seem like much more than what any decent person should do, but you must keep in mind that Jill was raised in a robber camp, and was rather spoilt and a little bit selfish. She was not at all used to doing things for others; that wasn't how it worked among bandits.

"I've made up me mind." Said Jill, "I'll 'elp you find Edmund," For Lucy had told them her friend's name, "No ma'er what."

Lucy said, "Thank you ever so much, but how can I? Wouldn't it be dangerous for you to help me escape? And I don't even know where I'm going."

"You're goin' north. Ta find tha' Wha'ever-'er-name-is Witch-person," Thinking of names reminded Jill, "Wha's your name, anyway?"

"Lucy."

"Well, Lucy, you'll just keep goin' north to find this Ice Witch or wha'ever, an' then you'll find your friend."

"You haven't answered my other questions." Lucy said, wryly.

"Oh, righ', It ain't dangerous fir me. Ma Alberta, she's the bandit leader, she would ne'er 'urt, or let any'un else 'urt, me or 'er son, Scrubb."

"You have a friend named Scrubb?"  
"No," Replied Jill, "I jus' call 'im that, 'is real name is Eustace Clarence, 'arfol name, don' ya think?"

Lucy just nodded.

* * *

There was no moon in the sky as Jill led Lucy and Tarandos out of the robbers' camp. Once out of earshot, and sight, of the camp, Jill took off the backpack she was wearing.

"This 'as some food an' warmer things," She said, lashing it to the Reindeer's back, "I would na' o' put it on ya, Tarandos, but Lucy's goin' ta need it."

"It's fine." Said the Reindeer; "I'll be going home."

Jill and Lucy both smiled before Jill continued, "If'n Scrubb an' Caspian were 'ere one of 'em woulda gone wid ya, but they're a'questin' for the end of the world."

This statement, I must say, was not half so absurd as it would have been in our world, for Narnia and her sister countries lay on a flat world.

Jill helped Lucy onto the Reindeer, and, after heartfelt farewells where none had a completely dry eye after, and many promises of meeting again, Lucy and Tarandos rode into the night. The last Lucy saw of Jill, before she was swallowed by the night, was her frantic waving, and a whisper-shout of a wish that Aslan would help Lucy on her journey.

Lucy thanked the Great Lion for the help, and new friend, she had found in Jill, and prayed that one day she would be able to see Jill again, and maybe Eustace and Caspian too, with Edmund by her side. She had promised to visit after she found her friend, but from what she had heard of the White Witch, she prayed there would indeed be an after.

**A/N: I'm so, so sorry that it took so long to post. I had a lot of stuff happening, and I had a severe case of writer's block, but that's no excuse. I'll try to be faster next time. **

**BTW: All the original names mean something.**

**Tarandos: Comes from the Greek for Reindeer.**

**Ambika: Comes from Sanskrit, it means 'mother'**

**Nigel: Champion**

**Nicolas: People of Victory**

**Nicodemus: People's Victory**

**Nia: Lustrous, goal, or purpose**

**Carolena: Little and womanly.**

**The last ones don't really make sense, but I chose the birds name 'cause they were similar, and the Apple was little.**

(**1**)**: To find out more about Talking Fruit, read my story Lucy Meets a Talking Kumquat. **


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